Maharashtra curbs public movement, extends lockdown till July end

“Maharashtra is threatened with the spread of Covid-19 virus and therefore, to take certain emergency measures to prevent and contain the spread of the virus, it is expedient to extend the lockdown in the entire state till July 31, 2020,” said the notification, signed by Chief Secretary Ajoy Mehta, for the revised guidelines issued on Monday.

“Movement of persons for non-essential activities like shopping and outdoor exercises shall be restricted within the neighbourhood limit, with all the necessary prescribed mandatory precautions of wearing masks, social distancing and personal hygiene. Unrestricted movement will be permitted only for attending places of work that are allowed to remain open and bonafide humanitarian requirements including medical reason,” it added.

Non-essential markets, market areas and shops – malls and market complexes to remain shut – can stay open only until 5 pm in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and other hotspots.

A proposal to increase staff in private offices from 10 per cent to 25 per cent has been deferred. So has the unlock of export-oriented industrial units and also those that are in located in areas inside the special economic zones and industrial estates within the municipal corporation areas of MMR.

“Further easing under Mission Begin Again will be notified in due course,” stated the order. But it also clarified that all economic activities permitted previously will continue to be allowed.

The order mentioned that “staggering of work/business hours will be followed in offices, workplaces, shops, markets, industrial and commercial establishments”.

Last week, in an interview to The Indian Express, Mehta had said that the only way to manage a city like Mumbai in a post Covid-19 situation was by getting offices and shops in Mumbai to stagger work hours, summon employees in shifts and encourage continuance of work from home. While SOPs are being formulated in this regard, sources said that containing the spread of the new cases is the government’s topmost priority.

Since June 5, when the first phase of the unlock began, a spike of 92,090 infections has been reported across the state, with Mumbai’s satellite cities and some other tier-2 cities accounting for bulk of the increased case load.

A central team, headed by Joint Secretary (Health and Family Welfare) Lav Agarwal had on Sunday raised the red flag over the big surge in cases in Thane, Solapur and Aurangabad districts in particular, recommending tightening of broader lockdown norms in these areas.

Fresh curbs have been put on inter-district travel within MMR as well. It will now be restricted for travelling to work, for essential services and medical emergencies.

The state has further empowered district collectors and municipal commissioners to tighten norms further in infected localities. In MMR, aggressive containment efforts have been launched in some areas, including some pockets in the suburbs in north Mumbai and Thane district.

Last week, the state had sent civic commissioners of Thane, Mira Bhayander and Ulhasnagar packing for their failure to beef up track and trace efforts and surveillance.